Needle support for knitting machines



4, 1936. R. H. LAWSON 2,050,060 NEEDLE SUPPORT FOR KNITTING MACHINESFiled Oct. 13, 1932 F101. F1c .1a. F102. F166. 1 16.4.

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Patented Aug. 4, 1936 UNITED STATES 2,050,060 I NEEDLE surroar FoaKNITTING moms Robert 11. Lawson, Pawtueket, a. 1.. assignor to HcmphillCompany, Central Falls, R. L, a cor- D ration of MassachusettsApplication October 13, 1932, Serial No. 037,513

8 Claims. (01. 66-115) This invention relates to a knitting machine andmore particularly to a construction of needle bed which may be used forguiding jacks as well as needles. 5 In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a needle bed which may be in the form of aneedle cylinder; Fig. 1a is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing amodified construction of needle bed;

10 Fig. 2 shows side and end views of one of the needle walls whichwalls are adapted to be assembled in tricks or grooves provided in theneedle bed or cylinder;

Fig. 3 shows views in side and end elevation 15 of a wire or othermember which is adapted to be assembled in the .needle bed to provide ahardened support for a needle;

Fig. 4 is a view in section similar to Fig. 1

but showing the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3 as- 20 sembled with theneedle bed;

Fig. 5 15 a fragmentary view in front elevation of the elementsdisclosed in Figs. 2 and 3 in assembled position;

Fig. 6 is a detail view of an element for re- 25 taining the needlewalls in position in the needle bed; and Fig. 7 is another view of theretaining means .shown in Fig. 6.

The needle bed indicated generally, by the 30 numeral I consists of twoparts 2 and 8 detachably secured together as by means of screws 4. Theouter face of the portion 2 of the needle bed is provided with a seriesof tricks or grooves 5 defined by walls 6. Adjacent to the upper end 35of the portion 2 there is a recess 1 undercut as at 8, within whichrecess readily removable walls 9 are insertable. When a wall is insertedas indicated in Fig. 4, a lateral projection l seats within the recess 1the upper edge of which pro- 40 jection I0 is beveled as at H to fit theundercut portion 8. The walls are notched or recessed as at I 2,hardened wire or other metallic elements I! being assembled with theneedle bed as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5. Such elements are 45 betweenadjacent walls 9, and serve when in position in the needle bed as shownin Figs. 4 and 5, to provide hardened surfaces to accommodate thesliding movements of the needles and/or jacks. The wires or otherelements l3 are oil'- 5 set as at I, the offset portion of each elementconsisting of diverging arms so that, in assembling, such oiisetportions llof the elements I 3 may be sprung or snapped into therecesses I2, thus being frictionally retained therein.

55 Adjacent to the lower ends of the walls 8 and slots 5, plates such asl5'are inserted in a recess l6 and retained in position therein as bymeans of screws l'l. As will be noted from inspection of Fig. 4, theplates l5 have their opposite faces beveled so as to wedge into engage-'5 ment with a wall of the needle bed and the lower faces or edges it ofthe needle walls, such engagement causing the projections ill of theneedle walls to be maintained in firm engagement with the upper portionor face of the needle bed de- 10 fining the notch or groove 1.

Whereas in Fig. 1 the needle bed or cylinder is shown as consisting oftwo parts connected by means of a screw 4, in Fig. 1a the needle bed orcylinder l' is shown as being integral.

The needle beds l and I may be integral or may be made in sectionsconnected together; furthermore, the needle beds may constitute aso-called fiat needle bed or a needle cylinder.

In the foregoing description needles and jacks have been referred to asbeing adapted to slide in the slots provided in the needle bed. Similar-1y elements such as l3 may be utilized for supporting sinkers or otherknitting instrumentalities which are slidable in sinker heads or likesupports.

Whether the knitting instrumentalities are slidable in slots provided ina needle bed having integral or removable walls as shown in the drawing,or are slidable in other supports, the use of hardened elements such asI3 permits the use of a needle bed or other knitting instrumentalitysupport made of, relatively soft material.

I claim:

1. An element adapted to be inserted in a knitting machine and act as asupport for knitting instrumentalities, consisting of a wire-like memberhaving a bent portion intermediate its ends by which it is adapted to beremovably held in position in a knitting instrumentality bed.

2. An element adapted to be inserted in a knitting machine and act as asupport for knitting instrumentalities, consisting of a strip-like ele--ment such element being provided with an offset intermediate its endsfor frictional and detachable engagement with a needle bed the partsbeing so constructed that the needle supporting element may be readilyinserted in and removed from the knitting machine.

3. A needle bed for a knitting machine provided with needle wallsbetween adjacent ones of which needles or jacks are adapted to slide, a

strip-like element offset between itsends, separate from the needle-bed,being frictionally held within a slot of the needle bed and between twomentioned walls thereof the parts being so constructed that thestrip-like element may be readily inserted in and removed from theneedle bed.

4. A needle bed for a knitting machine provided with removable needlewalls between adjacent ones of which needles or jacks are adapted toslide; a strip-like element ofisetbetween its ends, separate from theneedle bed, being frictionally held within 'a groove of the needle bedand between two mentioned walls thereof the parts being so constructedthat the strip-like element may be readily inserted in and removed frombetween the two mentioned walls.

5. A bed for a knitting machine said bed having slots therein definingwalls, elements seated on the outer edges of the said walls andbeingfrictionally and removably retained therein and readily removabletherefrom, needle walls removably seated within the mentioned slots anddeflning, in conjunction with the mentioned elements, raceways forknitting instrumentalities.

6. A needle bed for a knitting machine having needle walls between whichneedles are adapted to slide longitudinally of the needle bed, a recessextending transversely of the needle bed and striplike elements offsetintermediate their ends, such oifsets being received withinthe recess,the elements being retained in position in the needle bed by frictionalengagement between the of!- sets and the walls of the recess, the saidelements serving to support the knitting instrumentalities in theirsliding movements the parts being so 5 constructed that the strip-likeelements may be readily inserted in and removed from the needle bed.

7. A wire-like element adapted to be inserted ina knitting machine andact as a support for knitting instrumentalities, said element beingoffset between its ends to provide diverging arms for frictionalengagement in a needle bed of a knitting machine.

8. A needle bed for knitting machines, said needle bed having needlewalls between adjacent ones of which needles or jacks are adapted toslide, an element offset between its ends and separate from the needlebed said element being frictionally held within a slot of the needle bedand between two mentioned walls thereof, the parts being so constructedthat the said element may be readily inserted in and removed frombetween the two mentioned walls, such construction of the partsincluding diverging arms defining the offset.

ROBERT H. LAWSON.

